Horse-hitching device



(No Model.) v I J. G. ENG'BERG. HORSE HITGHING DEVIUB.

Patented Apr. 17, 1-894.

UNTTED STATES PATENT Qrrrcn.

JOHN GUST. ENGBERG, OF MENOMINEE, MICHIGAN.

HORSE-HITCHING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 5l8,366,dated April 17, 1894.

' Applica i fil July 29,1893. Serial No. 481,894. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN GUsr. ENGBERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Menominee, in the county of Menominee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Hitching Device, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hitching-devices for horses, the objects in View being to provide a cheap and simple device, that is light, strong, and durable, and designed to be attached to a hitching-strap, such device being so constructed as to be readily applied to and engaged with any object capable of being embraced thereby, as for instance, a fence-rail, a tree, hitchingpost, 850.; to so construct the device that it will automatically engage with the object and will increase its resisting power in accordance with the draft applied thereto, so that the more a horse pulls the more firmly will the device engage the object.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved hitchingdevice, the same being connected with the end of a hitching-strap and shown in engagement with an object, in the present instance, a hitching-post. Fig. 2 is a seotiona1-view of the device in detail. Figs. 3 andet are details in perspective of the two members disconnected.

parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the practice of my invention I employ a pair of strong curved clamping-arms 1, the same being provided at two of their meeting ends with inwardly disposed steel points 2, designed to engage the object to which the device is applied. Each of the arms 1 is provided with an open loop or frame 3, the said loops or frames of the two arms being transversely opposite each other, and the reverse sides of these loops or frames are extended to form pivoting arms 4:, each of which is provided with an inwardly disposed hollow stud 5. These hollow studs 5 meet and align with each other and through the two passes a transverse pivot-pin 6 theends of which are engaged by eyes formed on the ends of a swinging clevis or clip 7. A coiled spring 8 encircles the hollowstuds and has itsbranches extended in reverse directions, one branch engaging the upper end of one of the frames 3 and the other branch engaging the corresponding end of the remaining frame, so that the tendency of the spring is to contract and draw the two members 1 together. Each member is provided within its frame 3 with a transverse pin 9 upon which a loose friction roller 10 is mounted.

A hitching-strap 11 is provided at one end with the usual snap-hook for engaging the ,bit-ring-and at its remaining end is passed under the clip or clevis 7, down the outside of the member at that side, under the roller, and through the frame 3 thereof, transversely to and under the roller in the frame of the opposite member, and thence over to the first memben where it is connected to the upper cross-bar of the. said frame. This arrange ment of straps causes the two arms or members 1 to be drawn together by the strain or draft upon the strap, in addition to the force of the spring, so that when engaging the object, the spring serves to draw the arms together with sufficient force to cause the points to take into the fiber of, for instance, a post, tree, fence rail, 850., and immediately that any draft is applied to the hitching-strap, the points are still further forced into the object, so that as before stated the greater the draft upon the strap, the greater the resistance offered by the device. At the same time it will be obvious that the device may be readily disengaged by the driver by a simple spreading of the two members.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided an extremely simple, cheap, and convenient hitching device, the same being so constructed as to be applied to any ordinary object with which it is capable of engaging, and when so applied it is capable of offering security against the wandering of the animal as is often the case when secured to a weight.

I do not limit my invention to the precise details of construction shown and described, but hold that I may vary the same without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- In a hitching device, the combination with the curved arms terminating at their outer ends in inwardly disposed points and provided near their opposite ends with frames having transversely disposed antifrictionrollers journaled therein, the outer sides of said frames being extended therebeyond to form pivoted arms provided at their inner sides with hollow studs, a transverse pintle extending through the studs, a clevis loosely mounted upon the pintle, a coiled spring ar- JOHN GUST. ENGBERG.

VVitne'sses:

F. R. TRAFFORD, WM. DUNN. 

